


Just To Keep You

by cassacain



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, I don't know what I'm doing, but i'm doing it?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22275601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassacain/pseuds/cassacain
Summary: Batman never caught Jason Todd stealing his tires in that alley. Instead, Black Mask caught him, and Jason ended up joining him and eventually becoming his right hand man. When Batgirl decides to try and take Black Mask down, she ends up running into Jason Todd.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Jason Todd
Comments: 5
Kudos: 42





	Just To Keep You

The first time he saw her he knew he wanted her.

Black Mask was standing beside him so he was still, content to just watch. She seemed carefree, in her gray-and-blue Batgirl getup, her hair as red as a rose and curly on her shoulders. She wasn’t foreign to him; how many gorgeous girls came and stripped in Black Mask’s club every night? 

Jason Todd was well-accustomed to her type. Beautiful, young, feeling like the whole world was ahead of them when it really was just a minute.  
She was fast. That was good; she made it out alive, though things went south when she and Batman tried to team up against him. Todd fought better against paired groups.

Batgirl vanished, like a wisp of smoke. He still couldn’t put his finger on what stood out about her.

He saw her a second time at Black Mask’s club.

He was shocked to recognize her, but he supposed he’d memorized her figure, her lips, and seeing her out of costume he figured she was just similar enough to maybe be the real deal…and then he spotted the tech in her ear and recognized that she was watching him. He had Capri in his lap, as he usually did when Black Mask wasn’t entertaining her, but he suddenly wished he’d elected to spend tonight alone.

All he wanted to do was get to know her. He tried imagining what her life must be like, but all that occurred to him was his own miserable gritty-street life, watching his mother shoot up and then roaming alleys with a crowbar looking to pry tires loose for a couple of bucks. He couldn’t picture this bombshell living like that, or maybe he just didn’t want to break the illusion.  
“Capri, I’m done,” Todd said, succinct and fast.

“Huh?” She chirped back. He broke his fixed gaze on Batgirl and looked up at her.

“You’re good. Go get a drink,” He said, shoving a 20 into her hand and sending her off with a quick pat on the rear. He got out of his chair, making his way through the people to try and get close to the woman of intrigue. He followed her to the bar, where she sat at a vantage point to watch Black Mask at his table close to the stage. 

Black Mask, or Roman, seemed bored tonight. Jason had, too—it was their typical dreary night in the club surrounded by drunks and strippers—but he had a feeling things were gonna turn fun.

He leaned on the bar beside her.

“You seem lost,” he said.

“I was about to say the same thing to you,” she shot back, without even looking at him. Playing it cool, the drink dangling from her hand like that. He felt a warm rush up in his abdomen that was worth a thousand; this girl was a pistol.

He chuckled. “Well-played. I’ll buy you a drink?”

“No need,” she replied, indicating the one she held.

“Your next round, then.”

She sighed. “Persistent. Alright, fine.” She told him what she was having and he ordered one for himself, settling in beside her.

“Here alone?” He asked.

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “You sure have a penchant for stating the obvious, don’t you…er…”

“Jason Todd,” he said, evenly supplying her with his name. She tilted her head back and scanned him with narrowed eyes.

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Barbara,” she said. He couldn’t tell if the name was fake or not so he glanced back at the bartender and gestured with his finger.

“Excuse me miss, I’m going to have to card you.” The tender said. Barbara sighed, digging in her red clutch and pulling out her ID. He saw her name printed evenly on the card: Barbara Gordon.

Her age, too. 26. Six years older than him.

That gave him a whole new thrill. Not only was she utterly gorgeous, she was older than him. He had a little bit of a thing for that; it wasn’t just girls who preferred a more mature partner. He presented as if he had never seen the ID, though he was secretly pleased she wasn’t lying to him. Especially since she was probably Batgirl, and thus aware of who he was and what he was capable of. Maybe she didn’t have the resources for a fake ID, or the patience. Maybe it didn’t matter.

“I can’t believe he thinks I look under 21,” Barbara said, mouthy. Jason grinned.

“You have a baby face.” 

She turned to him in shock at those words. “I do not!” She protested.

He shrugged. “Want a smoke?” He offered. She contemplated it for a moment, hesitant and conflicted. 

“Um…” her eyes drifted toward the stage, checking in on Roman.

“You won’t miss much. They’re just doing the same acts over and over again,” he said, trying to keep his grin from going wolfish. He knew he was failing at that, too, but half of the importance was in the effort.

Barbara hesitated, on the fence. He imagined it from her point of view: she probably was wanting information from him, but didn’t know if she’d be able to get it. Still, she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to try.

“Alright. But I don’t usually smoke,” Barbara relented.

“Don’t you worry about it,” Jason said, leading her out. He couldn’t withhold his cocky grin. They stood in the alleyway, and he passed her a cigarette, not mentioning that it was heavy stuff. He lit her first and then himself, watching her bad form. He doubted she’d ever put one to her lips. Still, she managed not to hack and cough, swallowing her choking down. All the while, he blew gray smoke that wafted up over the Gotham full moon.

When she finally gave up and released a few minuscule coughs, he leaned back against the wall. Down the alley from them, a knot of hobos circled a fire, keeping their hands warm. Pensively, Jason decided to strike up a different conversation.

“They say full moons are when the most crimes happen,” he said, nonchalant. Barbara was wiping her mouth and glaring at the cigarette as if it had personally offended her. She brought it back to her lips and kinda sipped at it, as if not willing to take the smoke all the way back.

Finally, she responded. “Not a good night to be out, then.”

“Yet, here we are.” Jason said. He glanced over at her and found her emerald eyes focused on him, narrowed.

“I guess so. You know what else they say about full moons?” She asked.

He hesitated. “No.”

“Werewolves.” She put the cigarette back to her lips, and it would have been badass if she’d actually taken a drawl. Jason laughed because he couldn’t help himself.

“They also say there’s a League of Assassins and I know that shit’s real, so why can’t werewolves be?” Jason shot back. This gave Barbara pause.

“I don’t like that logic,” she finally settled on. She gave the conversation a brief lull before she asked. “How do you know the League of Assassins are real?” Tentative, just at the edges. A slight quaver that told him the truth: she was worried to ask and potentially turn him against her.

Little did she know he was willing to dole out information in order to keep her hooked. “I met them before. That’s what happens when you’re Black Mask’s right hand. You mix with shady types.” And he’d been his right hand since he was fifteen trying to pry his tires off his car and got caught. They’d beaten the shit out of him and when he survived it took him in, because that was what Gotham did with survivors. Corrupted them.

But she hadn’t asked about his bullshit life. She’d asked about the ninja-people.

“You met them? What was that like?” He could see in her bunched-up shoulders she was both excited and nervous about the direction of the conversation. He couldn’t remember watching another person this closely before. Or being this stupid and risky on behalf of a hot chick. Roman would have him flayed for taking risks like this, and yet…

“Crazy. Kinda cool. I could tell you all about it at my apartment.” His own voice lilted a bit on the offer, and he realized she was watching him just as closely. She picked up on his investment, and he could see a bit of realization in the forming smile on her face. Maybe she just now caught up and realized he was playing a game of cat and mouse with her. She might not know why yet, though, he consoled himself.

Her smile turned to a smirk. “And how would you be getting me there?” She asked.

“I’ve got a bike,” Jason answered. Barbara put her cigarette out on the garbage brick wall behind them and grinned up at Jason.

“Then let’s go,” she said, striding off down the alley. He practically sprinted after her.


End file.
